Hartley maintains he’s innocent in the aftermath of Saturday’s line brawl

Calgary’s Kevin Westgarth fights Vancouver’s Kellan Lainand during a line brawl in the opening seconds of Saturday’s game.Photo by
Gerry Kahrmann

SAN JOSE, CALIF. — A day later, Bob Hartley claims he is still baffled.

Many times — and in more than one league — the skipper started his fourth line against a John Tortorella-coached team.

But never before had the move triggered such a volatile reaction.

“I don’t know how many games I’ve coached against Torts,” Hartley, the Calgary Flames bench boss, said Sunday afternoon at the team hotel in San Jose. “Nothing ever ever happened like this.”

Meaning Hartley accepts little blame for Saturday’s brawl.

“What’s wrong with many parts of my career? In Colorado, Atlanta,” he said. “I put fourth-line guys on the ice and absolutely nothing happened. How many times this year have other teams put fourth-line guys against our team? Nothing happened.”

The result? A five-on-five brawl two seconds into the game at Rogers Arena.

Fireworks continued when Tortorella, during the first intermission, charged to the Flames’ dressing-room door.

Not surprisingly, that stunt drew the attention of the National Hockey League. Monday at league headquarters in New York, Tortorella reportedly gets a chance to explain his behaviour.

“I like Torts,” said Hartley. “We’ve been coaching . . . we basically came up together. Like I said (Saturday), I just don’t understand — especially him in our hallway. I don’t know. I lifted my eyes and here he was. I just don’t know what went through his mind.”

The two coached against each other in the American Hockey League — Hartley in Cornwall and Hershey, Tortorella in Rochester. Later in the NHL, they were Southeast Division mates — Hartley in Atlanta, Tortorella in Tampa Bay — but it wasn’t always neighbourly. At one point, Hartley’s Eric Boulton elbowed Tortorella’s Paul Ranger, breaking his jaw.

It’s no wonder that Tortorella, post-game, had noted: “I see the starting lineup and I know the other guy across the bench.”

But the starting lineup, according to Hartley, is no one’s business but the Flames’.

Saturday had been about acknowledging blue-collar toil.

“We’ve told you guys how many times? We want to reward the effort, the effort, the effort,” said Hartley, whose club fell 3-2 in a shootout. “Everyone in the lineup is an NHL player. It’s not because you put Brian McGrattan in the starting lineup that automatically something has to happen. He has as much right (to be on the ice) as anyone. And, on our part, we’ve been promoting that hard work and commitment to the team will open some other doors for you — might get you some bigger roles, bigger responsibilities. There’s nothing wrong. ”

Naturally, there has been backlash.

Some calling it a black eye on the sport, an embarrassment.

“I don’t think we have nothing to say to no one,” said Hartley.

In other words, don’t expect a teary apology. The coach, in fact, suggested it was no big deal.

“Stuff like this, obviously, will bring the best out of two teams,” said Hartley. “Suddenly, there’s more than just a hockey game. But after a few shifts, the game settled down. My No. 1 priority, especially for the second half . . . to make sure we maintain the focus and maintain that every game is a real game. Looking at the leadership we have, I have no doubt that we’ll be competing in every game.”

Declaring that the team is closer now would be admitting there’d been a shortfall earlier.

“Our guys, we’re a tight group since Day 1 of camp,” said Hartley. “We accomplished this as an organization. You always want to have a good group and that reflects on our core of veterans. They’re in charge of the mood, the attitude, of the team. I didn’t see — didn’t feel — anything different (Saturday).

“First, I felt like we played a great game. I thought our players deserved to get the win. It’s too bad. We got a point. We should’ve got two.

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